Maternal mortality is an indicator of disparity and inequity between men and women, the extension shows the place of women in society and their access to health and nutrition social services, as well as economic opportunities. Maternal deaths are still a problem to be tackled. Qualified attention to prenatal care is a key strategy to make pregnancy and childbirth safer, contributing significantly to reducing maternal deaths. Prenatal care does not require high technology, it can be conducted in primary health care and it depends on simple behaviors that can bypass most of the needs of pregnant women, it may be accompanied by nurses, supported by the Law of Professional Practice. Considering that the health professional that cares for pregnancy must have essential skills to the pursuit of quality obstetric practice, the object of this study is the skills developed by nurses in caring for women during prenatal care. Objectives: Getting to know the care for women during prenatal care in Ribeirão Preto - SP by the actions performed by nurses, based on core competencies in Obstetrics for skilled attention at delivery and the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality. Methodology: a descriptive study with quantitative approach. Data were collected at health units in the city of Ribeirão Preto. 156 professionals were interviewed: 69 nurses, 9 technicians and 78 nursing assistants. Descriptive statistics was used to data analysis. Results: Profile of the nursing team: a predominance of female professionals, married, with an average age of 45.1 years, with children and more than ten years of graduation. The assistants' income is 37.9% of the nurses' and the technicians' income is 49.7%. Most professionals learned to act in prenatal care in the network of basic health care and did not participate in refresher courses and scientific events in the area of women's health in recent years. Most nurses have some sort of post-graduation, six of them have specialization in Obstetrics. Most professionals have only one job, working 40 hours a week for over 10 years in the mentioned institutions and for more than five years in prenatal care, denied difficulties in caring for pregnant women and reported there are pregnancy courses in their unities of action. They are more satisfied with the performance than with professional recognition. Essential Skills: nurses perform the first meeting, participate discretely in the prenatal care, which is centered on the doctor. They do not perform general physical exam or obstetrics. Assistants and nursing technicians perform pre and post-consultation. Conclusions: The accumulation of functions of nurses is an obstacle to the full performance of prenatal care. The city of Ribeirão Preto requires that all nursing staff that works in prenatal care fight for greater autonomy, solidifying their assistance, strengthening the bond with the population and providing qualified and humanized care, based on the skills and core competencies recommended by the International Confederation of Midwives and the Ministry of Health.

WARNING - Viewing this document is conditioned on your acceptance of the following terms of use:This document is only for private use for research and teaching activities. Reproduction for commercial use is forbidden. This rights cover the whole data about this document as well as its contents. Any uses or copies of this document in whole or in part must include the author's name.